The recently completed Bloomberg headquarters in London has set a new world record BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ sustainability rating for an office building at design-stage, with a score of 98.5%. The project fuses Breathing Building’s low-energy natural ventilation with supplementary hybrid-mechanical ventilation, such that energy usage is minimised whilst thermal comfort and air quality are ensured throughout the range of external weather conditions experienced in London.

It is hoped that the building will serve as a stimulus for other projects in London with similar ambitions. The objective here was to create a stunning building in every sense – an incredible place to work, a beautiful building architecturally, but also one which is truly sustainable.

Air movement specialist Breathing Buildings supported the Sustainability team at architect Foster+Partners during the early and detailed design stages of the project. An in-depth study was undertaken at early design stage to investigate flow patterns within and between internal floors of the building. Physical water bath modelling was used to visualise flow paths, forming a key part of the design team’s efforts to establish the range of flow regimes which may be exhibited.

“Flexibility in design and adaptability of this kind are crucial features of new buildings if they are to be resilient to both predictable and unpredictable changes in climate over the coming years and decades,” commented Shaun Fitzgerald, CEO at Breathing Buildings.